


all the stars align ( when we're together )

by violntine



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, F/F, Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, Minor Violence, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Stargazing, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 20:58:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18415715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violntine/pseuds/violntine
Summary: Having trouble at home, Violet seeks an escape from it all. However, she never expected she’d find that salvation in the new girl at school.





	all the stars align ( when we're together )

**Author's Note:**

> TW // there is description of abuse in this chapter, so if that upsets you, please be careful!

“But you have to come! It’s the finals!” 

“And? That literally means nothing to me.”

Violet says for what feels like the fifth time, beginning to get irritated by her friend’s insistence on getting her to the school’s baseball game. Apparently their team is in the finals now, and she couldn’t care less.

It’s not going to happen no matter what he says. She’s sure of that.

“Have I mentioned that there are a lot of cute girls on the team? Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone there!” Louis chirps with raised brows, fully expecting that to be enough to change her mind.

It does spark her interest, but she doesn’t know if sitting through an entire game of baseball for the girls is worth it. Also, it makes her feel like a bit of a creep.

“You have not, but it doesn’t make a difference.”

“Is this still because of Min—“

Her eyes narrow, giving him a piercing glare, almost daring him to finish that sentence. Louis freezes, as if he’s just seen a ghost, and refuses to open his mouth again, for once.

He knows her ex-girlfriend is a sensitive topic, even after six months.

The silence doesn’t last long, however. It never does when it comes to Louis, who always has something to say. And it doesn’t seem like he’s giving up on this so easily.

The disappointment on his face is clear as day, and the sight of it makes her feel bad for a slight moment. Only slightly, though. Seconds later she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole, because her best friend has stopped in the middle of the hallway, hands clasped together in front of him, and is giving her the saddest eyes she’s ever seen.

It’s actually more amusing than anything, but she doesn’t like the fact other students are stopping to stare, snickering at the odd sight. 

“Please, Vi! You have to come! I’ll buy you chicken nuggets for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes!” 

Louis is practically yelling now, desperation evident in his tone. The offer is tempting enough to make her consider it for a few minutes, which seems to lift the solemn expression the taller boy is wearing, but it doesn’t entirely convince her.

Violet grins, giving false hope before a long, drawn out sigh escapes her.

“. . . No.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, some of us have to get to class.” Pushing past Louis, she continues to walk down the hall, getting as far as she can away from him. At least in history she doesn’t have to deal with being pestered by him, there’s just the possibility of being called upon by Mr. Everett that she has to worry about.

How fun.

Maybe Violet’s a bit hard on Louis, but she doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s just never been a patient person, and Louis. . . well, he’s not actually the quietest person in the world — always cracking jokes even in the worst situation, just to make others laugh, and teasing her mercilessly for even the littlest things. Although he’s a jokester and sometimes an annoyance, he always tries to put others before himself. He has a good heart underneath it all, and there’s never any ill-intent behind his behaviour, so she’s learnt to tolerate it, somewhat.

And she won’t admit this to his face, but his mischievous antics is kind of what she loves about him. He manages to make her laugh when it’s been a hard, long day, and not many people are talented enough to do that.

His attempt to get her to this baseball game - for whatever reason - hasn’t been as successful, however.

//

The day goes by relatively uneventful. 

Louis doesn’t bother her again, thank god, and soon enough she’s on her way home. The walk gives her time to clear her head, to forget the stress the day brought.

The sky above her head is tinged with the lightest shade of orange, the sun setting out behind the treeline, marking the end to the day. Although Violet doesn’t particularly like living here, she’ll admit that there are some amazing views. She gets the best from the outskirts of town, in the trailer park where her family resides. The place is pretty much a dump, riddled with garbage and numerous stray animals, so it’s not exactly surprising that there isn’t a lot for her to admire. Violet tries to avoid spending whole days there, especially on the weekends, because the last thing she wants is to be alone with her father.

He’s a mess, to say the least. Someone who has a lot of problems and blames it on other people. Her mother is hardly ever around due to working three jobs, so Violet happens to always get the brunt of his outbursts. It’s why she prefers to spend majority of her time alone outside of school, away from prying eyes and unwanted questions about the darkened bags under her eyes or how aggressive she can be without even being provoked. The smallest snide remark towards her is more than enough to set her off — in her mind, it's self-defence.

To her friends, it’s simply Violet.

She walks until she reaches the end of the street, turning into a gate that leads her to an open space with countless trailers around. Some are decent looking, while others look as if they’ve been through a tornado. Hers is more of the latter.

Dents in the metal are visible across the front of it along with obscure graffiti, the trash can yet to be emptied, and what’s left of the garden is unkempt.

Yeah, it’s not exactly a home people often dream about.

Violet enters slowly, the blue, dim lighting from the television immediately catching her attention. All the blinds are closed, leaving it to be the only source of light for the small space. On the couch in the middle of the room sits her father, surrounded by empty bottles of beer. There’s too many for her count, unsurprisingly.

The creaking of the door startles him, his mouth twisting into frown that she’s grown used to over the last few years of her life.

“Oh, it’s you.” He says with a complete lack of concern in his voice, his words somewhat slurring.

Violet, who usually always has something to say in return, keeps quiet. She just wants to go to her room and spend the rest of the evening undisturbed, but her dad seems to be intent on having an argument.

She’s halfway to getting behind closed doors when suddenly he’s gotten to his feet, knocking down a few of the glasses onto the carpet.

“Where have you been?” The question throws her off slightly. Because even though she knows he’s never been father of the year, she’d expect him to know that his daughter has to attend school.

Violet stares at him through the barely lit room, raising both her brows. “What do you mean? I’ve been at school, where else would I be?” There’s not a single drop of wit in her tone, yet somehow, he takes offence from it. His stance tenses, hands curling into tight fists.

Whatever’s coming her way can’t be good.

“You giving me attitude, girl? You think you’re better than me?” He’s now stepping towards her, far too close for her liking. The smell of alcohol is heavy on his breath, overwhelming her to the point she thinks she might be sick from it all. She wants to push him away, just to escape the smell, but she knows better. It’s better to endure all of this.

Suddenly there’s a sharp tingling sensation in her left arm, caused by the stiff grip he’s put on her. His fingers are digging into her skin so hard, she’s sure it’s going to bruise later on. “What? Got nothing to say now, huh? What a surprise. You’re exactly like your mother, useless and annoying.” Funnily enough, it’s not what he says about her that gets her upset, it’s her mother.

She’s so used to being degraded and pushed around that it doesn’t bother her anymore. She's almost convinced that she deserves all of it. Her mother, on the other hand, works too hard to be treated worse than the dirt beneath his feet.

“Do you ever shut up?” Violet says, her irritation beginning to seep through. Speaking up is a mistake, she realises, upon noticing the crease in his forehead deepen.

Everything happens so quickly. One second she’s staring at this everlasting hatred that burns brighter than anything she’s ever witnessed, the next she’s cupping her cheek, trying to ease the throbbing that comes from being slapped. Tears begin to cloud her vision, but she refuses to let them fall, blinking them away.

Violet doesn’t give him a chance to come up with some flimsy apology that’ll end up meaning nothing later on. She shakes out of his grasp and then runs as fast as her legs can carry her out the door, away from his screams.

She runs until she’s far enough to finally let herself cry.

//

Night arrives quickly after that, darkened clouds floating high above her head. A gentle breeze accompanies it all, that doesn't feel right against her rough skin. 

Time becomes the least of her worries while she walks, no particular destination in mind. Violet refuses to look at her phone, more afraid to see what kind of mark has been left behind across her face than anything. It stings every now and then, but she knows that she deserves it, so she tries to tolerate the pain. 

Her feet hurt from walking for what feels like forever. The thought of returning home actually crosses her mind for a fleeting second, before she remembers Louis constantly mentioning something about a baseball game. It's not exactly her favourite idea, but at this point she's willing to try anything and it's a whole lot better than facing her father again. 

So, she returns to the school grounds, where students, teachers and parents are gathered for Ericson's final baseball match. The place is pretty much beaming with excitement and joy, two emotions she can't remember the last time she experienced. Violet sticks out like a sore thumb in the crowd, with her sour expression and slightly tattered clothes. The blackening spot on her cheek probably doesn't help, either. 

For once, a wave of relief washes over her when she spots Louis seated on the bench right at the front, Brody sat next to him. An empty space beside him gives her a perfect reason to start moving through the flock of people, essentially pushing her way until she's eventually noticed by the boy. She watches as the surprise on his face morphs into exhilaration, before he waves out for her to join them. 

"Violet! You actually came." There's a full-blown smile on his face as the words leave him, conveying the exact amount of happiness he feels. It lifts her mood somewhat, just not enough to make her forget the events that occurred prior. 

Brody leans forward, giving a tiny wave, her other hand holding an Ericson flag for support. "Hey, Vi. Glad to see you could make it." She can see her gaze drop to below her eye, so Violet interjects before she can ask any question that's on the tip of her tongue. 

"Yeah, well, Louis did promise to buy me chicken nuggets if I came. I couldn't pass on an offer like that." 

She smirks, sitting down beside her friend as he nods proudly.

"I am a man of my word." 

The three settle into a comfortable silence, Louis being far too captivated by the game, as she turns her attention to it as well, not really understanding what's going on. From what she can see, Ericson is batting and they're behind on the scoreboard. Her face scrunches up in confusion, the action not going by unnoticed by Louis.

"It's the ninth inning, Vi. We have one last batter and if she hits a home run, we win." He explains, rather simply for a change. All the plates are filled with a member of their team, which is promising, though she still has her doubts.

“A home run? They must be incredibly lucky if that happens with their last batter.”

“Have some faith, Vi! We can do it if you just believe.” He sing-songs, leaning over to wrap an arm around her shoulder. She groans and pushes him off.

“Plus, you haven’t seen this girl play — she’s an absolute beast!” Brody adds. Louis nods in agreement, shooting her a knowing look.

Violet ignores him and goes back to watching the field, at a perfect moment too, because this girl they’ve been raving about has just stepped onto the home plate. Her back is facing them, so it’s hard to decide whether or not everything Brody said is believable. All Violet has to go off is her number — ninety-nine.

The game comes into play during her attempt to get a proper look at the batter, and she’s snapped back to reality by the sound of metal hitting the ball, echoing through the air. Violet watches as the girl sprints to first base, second, then third; time moving in slow motion. Everything else in the moment fades away, the crowd cheering becoming background noise. Her heart thumping wildly, as if it’s going to burst out of her chest any second.

Even from a distance, Violet knows that she is the prettiest girl she’s ever seen. This belief is set into concrete when the helmet is removed, giving her a perfect glimpse of the short, dark caramel locks of hair that’s tied into a messy bun, and the broad smile that’s breathtaking. The thin layer of dirt that covers her cheeks doesn’t even lessen her beauty.

She doesn’t realise that everyone around her is standing up, until Louis knocks into her, using her to steady his balance.

“What did we tell you, Vi!?” He exclaims over the countless of other people shouting, loud enough for her to hear him. She remains firm in her seat, unable to rid the sight she just witnessed from her mind. "Hey, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

It takes a second for her to grasp what he's said, however once she understands, all she can do is nod, her throat feeling oddly dry. Louis doesn't wait for answer, though, returning to share his enthusiasm over their win with the other girl. 

Violet finds her voice, whispering lowly to herself. ". . No, not a ghost." 

_An angel, she thinks._

**Author's Note:**

> kudos / comments are appreciated. 
> 
> alternatively, yell at me on twitter or tumblr (violntine)


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